Contrast - PChttps://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/default.aspxen-USTelligent Community 1.5.134.12297 (Build: 5.5.134.12297)A Shadow Of What Might Have Beenhttps://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/11/19/contrast-review.aspxTue, 19 Nov 2013 22:49:28 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:6421844Kimberley Wallace0<p><img style="max-width:610px;" border="0" src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/focushomeinteractive/contrast/contrastreview610.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Combining unique visuals, a vanguard concept, and atmosphere aplenty, Contrast is full of promise with its 3D platforming shifting to a 2D shadow world. Walking on the shadows projected onto walls as the real world ebbs and flows makes for an appealing premise. Unfortunately, the end product isn&rsquo;t as appetizing as the pretty picture Contrast paints. Faulty and boring puzzles drag down a promising premise and an intriguing story. </p>
<p>You play as an acrobat, Dawn, who possesses the power to shift between the real world and a two-dimensional shadow world. Her goal is simple: Navigate the real world by manipulating light sources and objects to provide her a landscape to solve puzzles in the shadow world. While the aforementioned basics are introduced early, advanced puzzle-solving tactics, like taking objects with you into the shadow realm, don&#39;t appear until later on. Most of the early puzzles are simply droll and require fighting the controls more than requiring actual thought.</p>
<p>Contrast peaks near the end when all of its different elements, like moving lights and transforming objects between worlds, come together as a whole to create inspiring, well-constructed challenges. Unfortunately, the advanced puzzles don&rsquo;t always work as planned. I cheated my way through two of them by placing boxes where they shouldn&rsquo;t go (due to shoddy collision detection). Even when doing the right thing, I lost required objects and had to load a checkpoint, losing three puzzles&rsquo; worth of progress. This wasn&rsquo;t true for every puzzle, though with the relatively short experience, these issues stand out.</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p>
<p>While I expected the puzzles to be Contrast&rsquo;s calling card, it ended up being the imaginative world and story that drew me in. The story follows a young girl named Didi and her imaginary friend, Dawn (who players control) through an early 20th century jazz club, circus, and lighthouse in a quest to mend a broken relationship. Exploring this wondrous world where shadows let you catapult to new heights while having such a heavy, realistic plight on your shoulders is an interesting dynamic. Unfortunately, despite being full of character and film noir inspiration, Contrast ends up asking a whole lot more questions than it answers, especially towards the end of the story. Near the end of the last act, the focus turns from Didi&rsquo;s plight to concepts about Dawn and the shadow world. The questions are intriguing ones, but aside from some hints introduced in collectible items, they feel more than a little undercooked.</p>
<p>The controls don&rsquo;t help, either, as I found myself jumping from the shadow world to a swift death in the real world because the shift from 2D to 3D changes the orientation of your movement. At least there&rsquo;s not much of a penalty for death or failure; your position reloads quickly upon death and you&rsquo;re dumped back to the real world if your shadow self dies.</p>
<p>That&#39;s not to say that there aren&#39;t well-implemented ideas, as waltzing across the shadows of carousels and cabaret singers is intriguing, and the end-game begins to catch up to the promise of the concept. If the entire game were full of complex, thought-provoking puzzles, I would have been much happier with Dawn&#39;s adventures. As it stands, Contrast is simply a shadow of what it should be; the ideas are there, but the unsound execution hurts the immersion of such a thrilling world.&nbsp;</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=6421844" width="1" height="1">puzzlePCContrastplatformercompulsion gamesfocus home interactivePlatformingReviewPlayStation 4This Clever Puzzle/Platformer Is A Lot More Than Just Eye Candyhttps://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/09/02/this-clever-puzzle-platformer-is-a-lot-more-than-just-eye-candy.aspxMon, 02 Sep 2013 21:50:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:4196028Matt Bertz0https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=4196028https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/09/02/this-clever-puzzle-platformer-is-a-lot-more-than-just-eye-candy.aspx#comments<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/compulsion-games/contrast/Pax610.jpg" border="0" style="max-width:610px;" alt="" /></p>
<p>Running
hurriedly through the Sony booth between appointments over the course
of E3, one particular game kept catching my eye. Contrast&#39;s striking
art aesthetic, which marries the vaudeville aesthetic of the 1920s
with elements of film noir, is tough to miss. At PAX Prime I finally
had a chance to check it out for myself. </p>
<p>The
first title from Compulsion Games, Contrast is inspired partially by
Guillermo Del Torro&#39;s turbulent and fantastical film&nbsp;<i>Pan&#39;s
Labyrinth</i>.
The story follows a young girl named Didi, whose parents are going
through a rough patch. To cope with the troubling circumstances, she
has made an imaginary friend named Dawn. Players assume the role of
this magical acrobat, who can effortlessly switch between the vibrant
real world and its shadow counterpart to solve puzzles that allow
Didi to continue her adventure to find her absentee father.</p>
<p>I
first played through the E3 demo,&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration:underline;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/06/14/finding-beauty-in-the-world-of-contrast.aspx">which
you can read about here</a></span>,
but afterward Compulsion Games studio head&nbsp;Guillaume
Provost&nbsp;treated me to a new segment of the game that shows off
some of the more advanced puzzle mechanics. At this point in the
second act, Didi is looking for her father in the failed circus he
set up with money from her mother, Kat. This particular sequence
takes place in a theme park pirate ship. Dawn needs to reach an
elevated platform to open the gate for Didi, and all I have to use is
a box that is much too short to do the trick with the way the ship is
designed. Examining my options, I have two potential avenues. I could
place the box immediately in front of the light source, which casts a
large enough shadow in the wall that would allow me to reach the
platform, or I could take the box with me into the shadow realm to
put it right up against the wall I need to vault. I choose the first
course of action, switching into the shadow realm with a tap of the
right trigger, climbing the box outline, jumping toward the platform,
and switching back to reality in time to grab the ledge.</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p>
<p>The
second room presents another box challenge. I need to place three
boxes on three pressure sensitive floor panels to open the gates
ahead. One of the boxes is sitting right next to the panel&nbsp;-&nbsp;simple.
The second box is on an elevated platform I can only reach by
spinning a the ship wheel, switching to the shadow realm, and riding
the wheel&#39;s shadow up to the balcony. Once I have that box I ride the
ship wheel to the far side of the room to deposit it on the second
pressure sensitive plate. Looking around the room, I don&#39;t see
another box to use. Suddenly I remember that I can grab the box from
the first room, which does the trick after I switch to the shadow
realm to sneak it into a room I couldn&#39;t otherwise access.</p>
<p>&nbsp;As
a fan of puzzle/platformers like Limbo and Braid, Contrast is right
up my alley. The stylish art aesthetic, compelling story, and clever
puzzle mechanics have this game headed in the right direction, and I
can&#39;t wait to play more when it comes to PlayStation 4, PlayStation
3, Xbox 360, and PC on November 15.&nbsp;</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=4196028" width="1" height="1">puzzlePCPreviewContrastcompulsion gamesPlatformingpax 2013See The World Of Contrast From The Eyes Of A Young Girlhttps://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/08/14/meet-contrast_2700_s-didi-in-new-trailer.aspxWed, 14 Aug 2013 18:21:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:3878116LizLanier0https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=3878116https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/08/14/meet-contrast_2700_s-didi-in-new-trailer.aspx#comments<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/focushomeinteractive/contrast/didi610.jpg" border="0" style="max-width:610px;" alt="" /></p>
<p>It&#39;s been a while since our <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/06/14/finding-beauty-in-the-world-of-contrast.aspx">first look at Contrast</a>. Though the news on the upcoming platformer has been slim, Contrast has not gone unnoticed, as it looks to be a unique addition bridging the gap between current and next-generation consoles. Now, Compulsion Games offers up a new trailer that reveals more about its heroine, Didi.</p>
<p>Didi is a young girl who is struggling to understand her parents. To cope with adult situations beyond her control, she creates and befriends an imaginary figure by the name of Dawn. Players can solve puzzles and platforming obstacles by playing as Dawn, as Didi watches.</p>
<p>Dawn can climb across silhouettes of strategically placed objects.&nbsp;She can even take the form of a shadow, expertly maneuvering through the dark streets of a setting that&#39;s part vaudeville, part film noire.</p>
<p>&quot;You&#39;re growing up fast&mdash; you used to be scared of the dark,&quot; Didi&#39;s father remarks in the trailer. Little does he know, darkness and shadows may have become her greatest allies.&nbsp;</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p>
<p>If Contrast interests you, be sure to check out editor Kim Wallace&#39;s feature on <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2013/08/05/eight-upcoming-under-the-radar-titles-that-deserve-your-attention.aspx?PostPageIndex=2">upcoming under-the-radar titles</a>, as Contrast is one of eight titles she mentions. Who knows? You may find other hidden gems to splurge on in the coming months.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Contrast will be coming to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 4.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=3878116" width="1" height="1">puzzlePCPreviewContrastcompulsion gamesPlatformingFive New Images Showcase Contrast's Vaudevillian Worldhttps://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/06/28/five-new-images-showcase-contrast-39-s-vaudevillian-world.aspxFri, 28 Jun 2013 14:35:32 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:3090842Kyle Hilliard0https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=3090842https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/06/28/five-new-images-showcase-contrast-39-s-vaudevillian-world.aspx#comments<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/focushomeinteractive/contrast/contrast062813_610a.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>Developer Compulsion Games has offered five new screens for its upcoming film-noir and vaudeville-inspired 1920s puzzle platformer, Contrast.</p>
<p>The game places players in the shoes of Dawn, the imaginary friend of Didi. She is a young girl coping with a traumatic event with Dawn&#39;s help. Shadows play in an important role in the game, as Dawn can turn into one herself to reach new areas by traveling along the shadows cast by other objects.</p>
<p>For more on Contrast, <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com:443/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/06/14/finding-beauty-in-the-world-of-contrast.aspx">check out our full preview from E3</a>.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=3090842" width="1" height="1">puzzlePCPreviewContrastplaystation 3focus homePlatformingxbox 360Finding Beauty In The World Of Contrasthttps://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/06/14/finding-beauty-in-the-world-of-contrast.aspxFri, 14 Jun 2013 23:25:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:2997106Jeff Marchiafava31https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=2997106https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/06/14/finding-beauty-in-the-world-of-contrast.aspx#comments<p><img style="max-width:610px;" border="0" src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/focushomeinteractive/contrast/contrastt610.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Compulsion Games&#39; striking indie platformer/puzzler presents
players with an irresistible mix of themes and aesthetics. The setting blends 1920s
vaudeville with the film noire of the 1940s. The player travels seamlessly between
the colorful 3D world and the moving shadows that paint its surfaces. The story
follows a precocious little girl named Didi, but contains some surprisingly adult
twists. Contrast doesn&#39;t have the biggest budget &ndash; nor did it receive the most attention at E3 &ndash; but it&#39;s the title that stuck with me the most.</p>
<p>Players take on the role of Didi&#39;s imaginary friend, Dawn, who
the little girl invented to help cope with a traumatic event in her past. These
events play out as shadows on the environments around Dawn, as she follows
Didi around the world and solves puzzles. Being imaginary, Dawn can also
transform into a shadow herself, allowing her to traverse the silhouettes cast
by other objects. For example, one area requires Dawn to climb up to the rooftop
of a building overlooking a courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard, a spinning
carousel casts shadows of the horses onto the surrounding buildings, which
provide moving platforms for me to jump across. When I get to a gap that&#39;s too
large to cross, Didi holds a stick above her head, which provides a temporary
bridge to my objective.</p>
<p>Compulsion Games studio head Guillaume Provost says that the game is
broken up into three acts, each of which of which features new locations,
puzzle mechanics, and story twists. Provost says Contrast will provide players
with a stream of new puzzles and experiences, and that he&#39;d rather keep the
game short than repeat the same tricks.</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p>
<p>Contrast was one of the first games approved on Steam
Greenlight, and Provost says that fans responded positively to the jazz song used
in one of the trailers, performed by singer Laura Ellis. Because of the fan
feedback, the developer has composed an all-original soundtrack that Ellis will
be performing. We get a chance to hear one of these songs in a cabaret bar in
an early level of the game. After finding and shining a series of spotlights at
the empty stage to reveal the ghostly shadows of a band, the silhouettes launch
into a full song, complete with a seductive dance number from the sultry,
Jessica Rabbit-esque singer.</p>
<p>I don&#39;t want to give away too much of the story, but the
sequences I saw revealed some of the struggles facing Didi&#39;s parents, who
despite their flaws, love their daughter. Like <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/papo__yo/b/ps3/archive/2012/08/14/papo-amp-yo-review-a-triumph-of-imagination.aspx">Papo &amp; Yo</a>, Contrast is
another indie game that shows mature topics can be explored in games in a
meaningful way, and I&#39;m eager to see where the story leads.</p>
<p>Contrast&#39;s unique visual style, original music, and innovative
gameplay make a compelling package for players, and the enthusiasm of Provost while
sharing his demo reminded me why I love indie games so much. Contrast will be
available on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 later this year, and will be a launch game
for the PS4. If you&#39;re a fan of unique indie games, Contrast should definitely
be on your radar.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=2997106" width="1" height="1">puzzlePCContrastcompulsion gamesfocus home interactiveContrast doesn&#39;t have the biggest budget – nor did it receive the most attention at E3 – but it&#39;s the title that stuck with me the most.impulseDiving In And Out Of Shadowshttps://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/04/04/diving-in-and-out-of-shadows.aspxThu, 04 Apr 2013 21:45:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:2708823Ben Reeves15https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=2708823https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2013/04/04/diving-in-and-out-of-shadows.aspx#comments<p><img style="max-width:610px;" src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/compulsion/contrast/pax610.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>Contrast is a puzzle/platformer with a twist. You can run around the world in 3D and then jump into the shadows and walk along any lit surface. The game&rsquo;s puzzles involve manipulating lights in order to change the shadow landscape. To get a better idea of how the game works we chatted with Compulsion Games creative director and founder Guillaume Provost. </p>
<p><b>To start can you give us a brief history of Compulsion Games? </b><br />I started Compulsion Games after moving back from Europe, during the height of the economic recession in 2009. I&rsquo;d been freelancing for a while after working at Arkane Studios, and moved back to Canada to create a structure around the project. The team gradually grew with industry veterans who fell in love with the project, but it took us some time to get a solid enough financial footing to start actual development. Contrast is the studio&rsquo;s first game, but our team members have worked on larger projects, such as Far Cry 3, the Full Auto franchise, Darksiders II, and Too Human.</p>
<p><b>Contrast looks like a vaudeville-inspired dreamscape. Where exactly does the game take place?</b><br />We wanted to create a unique setting and time frame in Contrast that gave it some character, so we blended influences from the 1920s Burlesque and Vaudeville era with some more classic film-noir elements from the 1940s. The architecture is largely inspired by Lyon, France; which is where I lived when I originally penned the concept for the game.</p>
<p>The idea was there from the beginning, and was originally inspired by Portal when we brainstormed different ways of traversing through space. However, tying both worlds together took a much more significant role when other shadow-based games (such as Shadow Physics, Lost in Shadows, and Echochrome) started emerging in the market. We felt that we needed to adapt the design of the mechanic to create a more unique experience, and those projects forced me to make our own concept better.</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p>
<p><b>Who are the main characters and what are they trying to accomplish?</b><br />Dawn is the imaginary friend of a young girl named Didi, and she helps her discover, resolve, and cope with issues surrounding her family throughout the game. Although Contrast is not quite as dark as Pan&rsquo;s Labyrinth, we were very inspired by it when establishing the story arc, and liked the idea of impersonating a character out of a child&rsquo;s mind.</p>
<p>Dawn develops additional powers throughout the game that deepen the ways in which she traverses through the environment. You get the ability to dash between spaces, for example, which is a simple mechanism that pulls you out of shadow space for a short time, gives you a boost, and brings you back into shadows. This allows players to &ldquo;skip&rdquo; between the worlds when they are platforming.</p>
<p>However, a lot of the game has to do with expanding and slowly increasing the interactive nature of the shadow mechanic, and as such we&rsquo;ve stayed true to the formula of Portal and Braid.</p>
<p><b>How has this unique shadow gameplay challenged you guys design wise? </b><br />I could write an entire article about the challenges we faced design wise. You can&rsquo;t really design or visualize most of the puzzles on paper or in your head, because all of the shadows in the game come from real objects in the scene, and we realized early on that our project was really ambitious. We also hit a lot of skepticism with publishers at first on whether we would really be able to pull it off. The mechanic is a lot harder than it looks, but then so was Portal, and yet Portal didn&rsquo;t invent portals.</p>
<p>When discussing artistic direction, for example, we wanted to create a film-noir atmosphere; but then the way the world is lit directly impacts where players can traverse in shadows, so we had to think about how to visually communicate that interaction without compromising the mood. Players also walk and follow along wall surfaces in a free-form way when they are in shadow, so we had to curate the surfaces of buildings, to ensure wall details such as awnings and windowpanes were details the players could ignore or were actual geometry they could stand on. Making all of this natural and intuitive, while retaining a rich visual atmosphere was a big challenge at the beginning of the project, and we had to find creative solutions to make the visual and gameplay elements of Contrast work together in a cohesive experience.</p>
<p><b>Can you give an example of some of the puzzles that people will have to deal with in the game? </b><br />We try to pace the player&rsquo;s experience in a way that gradually increases the ways in which you can interact with the world. In some areas, we might allow you to move a light around, dynamically changing the shadow landscape in a way that leaves you in control of how you might want to navigate the environment in that space. In others, we&rsquo;re teaching you to platform in multiple dimensions, by making you jump off a ledge in 3D and then land on a shadow because there&rsquo;s nothing else to physically hold you.</p>
<p>Contrast is currently slated for a May release on PC through Steam for $14.99, but the Compulsion Games is also in talks to bring the game to other platforms as well. Check out the games initial announce trailer <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com:443/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2012/03/05/puzzle-platformer-contrast-debuts-with-shadowy-trailer.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=2708823" width="1" height="1">puzzlePCPreviewContrastshadowsplatformercompulsion gamesinterviewPuzzle Platformer Contrast Debuts With Shadowy Trailerhttps://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2012/03/05/puzzle-platformer-contrast-debuts-with-shadowy-trailer.aspxTue, 06 Mar 2012 01:00:00 GMT79ef0c18-1c65-4225-984f-fdaeab0f0862:1749333Adam Biessener25https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/rsscomments.aspx?WeblogPostID=1749333https://www.gameinformer.com/games/contrast/b/pc/archive/2012/03/05/puzzle-platformer-contrast-debuts-with-shadowy-trailer.aspx#comments<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/compulsion/contrast/announce610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /><br /><br />This just-announced title channels an Art Deco vibe from the last century while it intrigues us with what appear to be animated shadows that the player can interact and merge with.<br /><br />(Please visit the site to view this media)<br /><br />Contrast, from independent Montreal studio Compulsion Games, challenges players to solve its puzzles by jumping between the physical three-dimensional world and the shadows themselves. The story, which we don&#39;t know much about yet, is being teased as an exploration of memories that don&#39;t belong to the protagonist.<br /><br />The gameplay looks not dissimilar to last year&#39;s Lost in Shadow for Wii, though Contrast appears to take place partially in 3D environments as opposed to that title&#39;s strict 2D perspective. Regardless, this trailer has enough going on that I&#39;ll keep at least half an eye on the game. Contrast is being developed with all HD platforms in mind, though it doesn&#39;t have a publisher quite yet, so formal platform announcements will have to wait.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=1749333" width="1" height="1">puzzlevideoPCplatformannouncementmediaPreviewContrasttrailershadow